Character AI files to dismiss lawsuit, saying it's protected by the First Amendment

Recently, the AI ​​chatbot platform Character AI found itself in legal trouble due to a case involving a teenage suicide. The platform filed a motion to dismiss in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, claiming that it was not liable for the lawsuit under the First Amendment.

The case stems from a lawsuit filed by Megan Garcia against Character AI in October. Garcia's son, 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III, developed a strong emotional attachment to Character AI's chatbot "Dany" that ultimately led to his tragic death. occur. Garcia said his son communicated frequently with the chatbot and gradually became alienated from real life.

Following Stull's death, Character AI promised to launch a number of security features to increase monitoring and intervention of chat content. Garcia wants the company to take stricter measures, such as banning chatbots from telling stories or personal anecdotes.

In its motion to dismiss, Character AI argued that the First Amendment protects media and technology companies from liability for allegedly harmful speech, emphasizing that this right also applies to users’ interactions with AI chatbots. The motion emphasizes that if the lawsuit succeeds, it will infringe on users' freedom of speech.

The motion does not address whether Character AI is protected by Section 230 of the Communications Ethics Act. The law is intended to protect social media and other online platforms from liability for user-generated content, but there is debate over whether AI-generated content is protected by this law.

Additionally, Character AI’s legal team pointed out that Garcia’s true intention was to “shut down” Character AI and push for legislation on similar technologies. The company believes that if the lawsuit is successful, it will have a "chilling effect" on Character AI and the entire emerging generative AI industry.

In addition to this lawsuit, Character AI is facing multiple legal actions related to the use of AI content by teenagers. Other accusations include that Character AI showed "excessive sexual content" to a 9-year-old child and directed self-harm to a 17-year-old user.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into Character AI and 14 other technology companies in December for alleged violations of the state's children's online privacy and safety laws.

Character AI was founded in 2021 as part of AI companion applications. Although this field is booming, the related mental health effects have not been fully studied. Character AI said it will continue to improve the security and content management of its platform as the company launches multiple safety tools and teen-specific AI models.